Samsung LN46A550 46-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV
 | Average Customer Rating: Recommend 46" widescreen HDTV (16:9 aspect ratio) * high-gloss black finish * built-in digital (ATSC) and analog (NTSC) tuners for over-the-air TV broadcasts (antenna required) * built-in QAM cable TV tuner receives unscrambled programs without a set-top box (cable service required) * 1920 x 1080 pixels * Product details and pricing info |
|---|
262 Customer Reviews Posted
- BEWARE!
- First of all, AVOID ORDERING FROM 6AVENUE ELECTRONICS! THEY HAVE NO REFUND POLICY ON LARGE TVS NO MATTER HOW BAD IT IS, AND THE DELIVERY GUY DOES NOT ALLOW YOU TIME TO TURN IT ON AND TRY IT WHEN ITS DELIVERED.
No for the rest.
I don't usually write reviews often but this really upset me. I did a lot of research before I purchased this television. Almost all the reviewers loved LN46A550, and it received top marks on almost every web site I looked. Which is why I was very surprised when I turned it on.
First the good.
1) looks nice
2) great contrast ratio and viewing angle
3) very bright
4) picture from a quality HD source like blue ray dist on a PS3 looks great, AS LONG AS THERE IS NOT MUCH MOTION ON THE SCREEN.
Now the bad:
1) analog SD TV looks absolutely horrific. The screen has these faint linear distortions going vertically on most channels, and the picture is very pixelated and blurry, especially around faces and moving objects. not every SD channel is equally bad, but all range from horrible to slightly less horrible. I have optimum HD dual channel DVR box, which works great hooked up to my 6 year old Sony CRT TV. (HD channels look better on my old sony as well).
2)image blur with fast moving objects on the screen is VERY VISIBLE, and much worse than on my brothers 4 year old LG set. Don't believe the fast 5 ms image refresh. perhaps they get it under lab conditions, but in the real world, almost any fast moving image creates a visible blur. Forget about watching most sports or action movies. While thee blur is faint, it is almost always visible, and once you see it you will keep seeing it. It drives my wife and I nuts. Our first experience watching a movie was the Golden compass on blue ray (though HDMI). The scene where the little girl is riding a bear across the nice blue sky backgroung has approximately 1 cm of faint blur trailing behind her. The large fight scene towards the end of the movie was totally unwatchable due to all the trails. In fact, both from a blu ray source and on many channels, when the actors face moves slightly on the screen or when they talk, a faint blur tends to appear over the entire part of the face that moved.
3) Sound is pretty bad, but if you have a surround sound setup it shouldn't matter.
4) Not really a television problem, but more of a problem with the retailer. I purchased the set through Amazon from 6Avenue electronics, and when I called them to ask for a return, I was denied, saying they NEVER ACCEPT ANY RETURNS ON TVS LARGER THAN 32 INCHES. They referred me to a line buried in their 30 day return policy which stated that it does not apply to large telivisions. They said that once I bought it an accepted delivery it was my problem, and I would have to resolve any issues with the manufacturer. So beware when ordering from them. I guess customer service means nothing and I will never buy from them again. I am now stuck with a television which does not perform to the promised specifications and which I can not return. When I called Samsung, they offered to send a technician to my house, and said they will set me up with a local repair shop. They also said they don't think there is anything wrong with my set. It has been 3 days and no repair tech contacted me yet.
In conclusion, I would not recommend buying this television if you plan on watching sports or action movies on it, or if you don't have a surround sound system. And I especially would not recommend buying anything from 6th Avenue electronics. What a rip off.... - 2008-07-16, 6 of 8 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- Great picture but one feature missing
- I just made the jump to HD with this TV, and I am 100% satisfied with the picture. There is just one feature that is missing that is a minor problem for me. I have an HD cable box and a PS3, and both of these have optical digital audio out only (no coaxial). My stereo receiver has one optical input and one coaxial. I was hoping to route the audio over HDMI to the TV, and run the TV's optical out into my receiver. But the TV only passes 2 channel audio from HDMI inputs out to the optical; Dolby Digital (5.1) is not passed out the optical. So I am forced to get an optical to coaxial converter. Minor cost and annoyance, but the reviews on these products aren't presently that positive.
Note the manual claims if the TV is receiving DTV (over the air) with a 5.1 signal, it will send that out the optical output. I do not use it in this mode, but someone might...
Overall, I have no regrets about purchasing this TV. "Home Theater" is finally a reality for me. - 2008-07-13, 1 of 1 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- LN46A550 (46inch LCD w/ Anti Glare)
- I'm not typically one to review Item's here on Amazon. However I felt I would be doing Samsung an injustice not to review this amazing TV. After watching the market and learning about my needs as a consumer for the last year plus I decided to purchase this TV from Amazon. I choose Amazon because of there rock bottom pricing. If you figure in taxes and shipping (delivery) charges from your local electronic shop Amazon has them beat hands down.
Pros:
-The SDTV looks great, this was a huge fear for me going from a 32" JVC to the Samsung and I was surprised how great it looks. We sit 6' from the TV and do not suffer from screen door effects, etc.
-Anti-Glare: Most TV's we looked at were ultra reflective and made the picture near impossible to see in normal daylight situations.
-Sound: after reading the reviews here on Amazon I was really concerned that this near perfect TV would sound like a tin can. And to be honest when I first received it did. However after following the recommendations found in the reviews on this TV and the AVSForums I found it more than suitable in audio quality.
-Picture: I have limited knowledge about what is considered "good" but the picture is amazing to me. No screen door effect, the colors are perfect and no issue with blurring.
-Delivery: The white glove service is great I was scheduled for a delivery 2 weeks after purchase. I received it a short 4 days later. My TV was shipped out of PA and I live in MA.
Cons:
-The aspect ratio of the TV for normal SDTV defaults to 16:9, which leaves large blank borders and doesn't use the full screen of the TV. Although you can use the wide fit option under the settings when switching between HDTV and SDTV you have to change back and forth between "wide fit" and the native 16:9. Also when the TV auto adjusts between interlace and progressive you get a green screen for a second that frankly freaked me out the first time it happened.
-I haven't found any others yet with maybe the exception of the lack of 120hz option known as "future proofing". My take on the 120hz thing is its not developed enough to be worth the price difference. Almost every TV including the Samsung's that I have looked at with that feature on had issues with blurring the picture, more specifically during sports games. Many posts state to just turn the 120hz feature off. Leaving them with a xx" TV at 60hz i.e. my TV.
Summary:
Overall I highly recommend this TV for the reasons above and because it is a consumer reports best buy in its class 40-46" TV's. The Anti-Glare is huge for me because I watch it in the living room and have five windows that give us daytime light. The delivery service Amazon uses is efficient and will remove the packaging should you want them to. We held onto our packaging to make sure its the TV we wanted and just threw it away the other day. Finally there is more than enough support for this TV both from Samsung in the form of Customer Service and it's Firmware updates via free USB flash-drive and the AVSForums. Combine all the above with Amazons 30day return/price protection policy and it's win/win. - 2008-07-12, 4 of 4 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- Great TV: Inferior Speakers
- No need to rehash all the positive things that have been said about this TV. The picture is stunning. My gripe concerns the speakers which don't belong on an otherwise 5 star TV like this one. In short, I often find it difficult to clearly hear the spoken word on this TV. I find myself turning it up to do so, but then just finding it's louder, but not actually more understandable. If Samsung has just spent another $25 or so to install higher fidelity speakers (and upped the price accordingly) this would likely be an unqualified 5 star product.
- 2008-07-11, 4 of 5 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- Best 1080p choice for the price - Can't beat it!
- I'm a pretty unbiased reviewer, but I must say, for the $1549 I paid for this TV--I'm well impressed. In a few words to describe the pros and the cons....I love the quality, available connections, etc. I was not impressed by the sound quality at all. Mainly because I'm not used to speaker beaming down, from the frame of the TV, rather I'm used to the sound coming directly at me. Yes people in the reviews say you can hookup external devices to amplifier through say a receiver...but let's be honest..who wants to turn on a receiver when you just want to watch Oprah. DO you really wanna hear her voice in surround sound?? More than likely not. But yes, movies, you will take the time to setup a receiver for the optimal sound quality. I did however get used to the sound quality, so I can no longer complain, only because I've adapted to the sound quality.
For $1549, don't think twice, great TV, and will last you. If you don't want to buy a extended warrenty, be smart...charge it to your AMEX Credit Card, they expand your warrenty for free an additional 2 years from the orginal warrenty. Call AMEX to see if you have this available on your card. I have a AMEX Blue and it's included for free with no yearly charge.
Enjoy! - 2008-07-10, 1 of 2 people found this review helpful, Rated:
